The Winter Sea, by Susanna Kearsley

I know some wonderful authors. When I ask them how they know what to write, they all tell me that their characters "talk" to them; that their protagonists are the conduit through which they, as artists, express themselves and in so doing, produce the story they want to tell. But what if there was more to it than just having a creative imagination and a will to tell a story?

Carrie McClelland is an author, in Scotland to visit her agent and do research on her book about Captain Nathaniel Hooke, an 18th century Jacobite intent on returning King James to the throne of Scotland in 1708. Her agent suggests that she write the book through the eyes of someone other than Hooke, that perhaps a woman as a narrator can get the story moving along at a faster clip. Carrie takes up residence in a cottage by the sea, near a castle called Slains, the ancestral home of the Earl of Erroll. The castle seems to call to her in some way that she finds hard to ignore. And when Carrie takes Jane's suggestion, the story does indeed start to write itself, and so easily that she's is a bit frightened by just how well Sophia Paterson, her narrator, tells it. Effortlessly, Carrie writes about a life lived 300 years earlier, checking actual history against what she has written and starting to realize that coincidence has nothing to do with the fact that she's no longer writing historical fiction, but historical fact.

While you might think that this is a bit gimmicky, or that it's another wonderful time travel story (the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon comes to mind), this is neither. It's an engrossing, at times heart- wrenching love story that's carried on two distinct parallel planes. The first story, that of Sophia and John Moray, comes to life with some of the most romantic lines I've ever read. The description of their wedding night and subsequent parting on the eve of John's exile to France to serve Young King James, is some of the best writing I've come across in a long time. At the same time that we live through Sophia's era, Carrie, in the present day and in her own personal life, helps draw the two parallel lines closer together. It's fascinating reading the history of these turbulent times and at the same time feeling Carrie's sense of confusion and then acceptance over what seems to be to happening to her in writing Sophia's story. To be honest, there were more than a few times, while reading this book, that a chill ran through me, probably not unlike what Carrie feels when she thinks that her surroundings (or a pair of  gray eyes) seems a bit too familiar.

I don't want to give too much away. There are plot twists that are just too exquisite and can only be appreciated by reading the book yourself. While the premise may seem confusing, it's impossible to mistake what century you are in, or from whose perspective the story is being told. From start to finish,  I actually had to force myself to put it down. I didn't want it to end.  If you read one book this year, read The Winter Sea. Historical romance it may be, but it's not like anything you've read before. At least I haven't. It will stay with you long after you're done, and, like Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, will have you asking, as I've been asking myself, "What if...?"

And Only To Deceive by Tasha Alexander

And Only To Deceive is Alexander's first book in the Lady Emily series. The series focuses on our heroine, Lady Emily Ashton, who is a young, rich widow living in Victorian England. She was married only a short time to a man she knew almost nothing about and had very little interest in changing that fact once she was married. She married only to escape her nightmare of a mother (think Mrs. Bennet on steroids with bit more public decorum). The book's main focus is following Emily on her journey to know, understand and truly mourn her stranger of a husband, Philip, while at the same time coming into her own as an independent woman. After coming out of full mourning and beginning to re-enter society, she finds the social strictures as confining as the blasted corsets and unpalatable as the sherry.

As she learns more about her late husband she begins to take an interest in his passions. She begins to learn Greek, read Homer (Lord, deliver me from ever having to pick Homer up again), and develop an interest in Greek antiquities. Through this she finds that her husband had been caught up in a mystery which leads her to question his integrity. She, of course, along with her two friends simply must get to the bottom of things. I must admit that this part did get a bit Nancy Drew and her BFFs, George and Bess, for me but I could fight through it.
Enter the love interests, Colin, her late husband's nearest and dearest and Andrew, another friend of Philip's. The reader is supposed to be far more swoony for Colin even though his unknown part in the mystery makes him seem a bit shady. I'll give him some swoon, but he's no Mr. Darcy or Captain Wentworth or even Brisbane if you read Deanna Raybourn. I have a feeling his swoon factor will improve in the next books.

I liked this book very much. I enjoyed Tasha Alexander's voice and characters. Emily, who I did not care for much at the beginning of the book, grew on me as she continued to evolve and mature. She had her moments of knuckleheadedness but overall she was likable, and I cared about what happened to her. One of the strongest parts of the writing was the excerpts from Philip's journal. It really let the reader get to know him. It felt like we were sharing Emily's journey of discovery along with her. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Where Shadows Dance by C.S. Harris

OH MY GOSH! This book was soooooooooooooooooooooooooo good. For those you not in the club of awesomeness known as the St. Cyr Society of Adoration or Team Hero....then you need to get on board!

The St. Cyr mystery series is set in Regency England. The books follow the path of Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin. A tortured and wounded soul that upon his return from the battlefields of Spain, begins solving murders in London. Due to his unique position as a one of the ton, he can go to and ask questions of those that otherwise would be protected from the insult of even being considered as a culprit for murder, much less investigated.

This newest book follows the intrigue surrounding the death of Alexander Ross, a member of the Foreign Office. What is first believed to be a natural death is soon proved to be murder. Devlin is asked by his close friend, Dr. Paul Gibson, to investigate the murder. The trail leads Devlin all over London, into the spy networks maintained by France, Russia, and England, the office of the Foreign Office, and Devlin's archenemy Jarvis. The story is further enriched by the continuing drama between Devlin and Hero Jarvis.

What I love about this series is that while Harris pays attention to the details of the day (dress, decorations, etc) that normally take up chapters of a regency romance or mystery but she doesn't let it rule her writing. Each plot is so intricately woven that it's VERY rare when I actually figure out the identity of the killer before I'm supposed to. She also weaves the politics of the day into her stories and being a bit of a history nut, I love the series even more

This latest book (the 6th in the series) was worth the almost 2 year wait...yes...it was torture for me because I'm a crazy fan like that. It's my favorite so far. My only complaint is that it was too short but that's my normal issue with books when I read them in a day; which was the case here.

So if you like mysteries, Regency, troubled heroes, quirky characters, intrigue, and FANTASTIC writing then give these books a shot! I recommend that you start at the beginning of the series. Each one is WAY too good to miss!!!

Marrying the Captain, by Carla Kelly

The first is a series of three books following the illegitimate offspring of a none too heroic naval officer, Marrying the Captain is the story of Eleanor Massie, also known as Nana.  When her father decides to sell her to the highest bidder to pay his gambling debts, Nana runs from his influence and the school for girls he sent her to. Finding sanctuary with her grandmother in her hometown of Plymouth, she tries her hardest to keep the Mulberry, the boarding house she and her grandmother run, from closing down. Living in a navy town, Nana is reminded time and again of her mother's fall from grace and the circumstances of her birth and swears she will not be persuaded to meet the same end.

Naval Captain Oliver Worthy is given what at first looks like an innocuous assignment by his commanding officer (Nana's father) to find her and keep an eye on her while he is in Plymouth. His ship, the Tireless, is in dry dock for repairs to damage done in a skirmish with the French. As part of the blockade of the French coast, Oliver cannot wait to get back to sea. And as a life-long navy man, he has seen too many comrades die in battle and leave families behind to grieve. He swears that he will never marry and put someone through the pain of waiting for him to come home. Well, you know what they say about good intentions.

Oliver takes up residence at the Mulberry and predictably, he and Nana fall in love. What's not predictable are the obstacles thrown in their path; French spies, kidnapping and cowardly Admirals among them. The ending, when it comes, is a satisfying conclusion to a story whose outcome is not guaranteed.

This is the first Carla Kelly book I've read, and it won't be the last. I have the two sequels on order, and look forward to re-visiting with Nana and Oliver in those.  For a quick read, almost innocent in its story-telling and characterizations, Marrying the Captain is a sweet diversion.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Christianity. Islam. Judaism. Buddhism. When asked about the religions of the United States, these are probably the first answers that pop into your head. But considering the vast melting pot from which this country was formed, have you ever stopped to ask yourself, "What happened to the ideologies of days gone by? What are the new ideologies of the future?" Whether by choice or force, millions of people left their native lands and travelled the Atlantic Ocean for the New World. What if the gods of those lands came with them, but over the years have been forgotten and are struggling for existence. And what if, these gods were preparing for battle against the gods of tomorrow, the gods of the Internet, smart phones, credit cards...

Shadow was never been one to believe or not believe. He lived a simple life with his wife Laura, but a series of unfortunate events had landed him in prison. An early release is the beginning of a road Shadow could not have imagined in his wildest dream of traveling. As circumstance would have it, Shadow joins up with Wednesday, formerly known as the All-father Odin. Their journey takes them across the United States, as Wednesday attempts to rally (or coerce) his fellow forgotten gods to join him in battle against the new gods of the wired age. During all of this, Shadow is plagued by dreams his doesn't understand, escapes numerous hit attempts by the opposition, mixed feelings about his wife, all the while trying to grasp the things he has seen and heard. As his journey comes to an end and as the battle for the Badlands wages, to see which side will survive in the land, Shadow finally understands what everything is about, what he is about, and reaches his true potential.

If you are willing to open your mind to the possibilities of what may really be, to see how our thoughts and beliefs can take shape and mold our world, then take the jump into another one of Neil Gaiman's edgy and amazingly fantastic novels.

It Happened One Season, by Stephanie Laurens, Mary Balogh, Jacquie D'Alessandro and Candice Hern

It Happened One Season is a collaborative effort between four talented romance writers and one very imaginative reader. The premise is this; the writers were given the assignment of taking a reader's plot suggestion culled from a publisher's contest (in this case Avon, a subsidiary of HarperCollins)  and each use it to write a different story.  The "winner" of this contest,  Phyllis Post, to whom the book is dedicated, came up with a three point plot suggestion. The first, that the male protagonist be the second son of a noble family,  previously in the army and now returned home. The second, that the female protagonist be shy, in some way considered unattractive (even if that's her own perception) and devoid of any suitors, past or present.  The final piece to the plot is the propelling force to the stories;  the male protagonists' brother has only daughters, so he is ordered to step up to the plate, as it were, and keep the noble line away from a distant, inappropriate relative.

Stephanie Lauren's contribution is called, quite unimaginatively I might add, The Seduction of Sebastion Trantor.  Sebastion, newly returned from the Peninsula Wars,  is the heir to his brother Thomas, the Viscount Coningsby,  the father of multiple daughters. Tabitha Makepeace is looking to catch a blackmailer, someone who is trying to expose her friends' pasts in order to derail their newly arranged marriages. They stumble upon each other and proceed to solve the mystery and fall in love at the same time, thereby killing two birds with one stone. Thankfully, Lauren's use of a thesaurus is somewhat tempered in this story, which made it readable, even to me, not one of her biggest fans. 

Mary Balogh is one of my favorite authors, and so I had high hopes for her contribution, Only Love.  Jack Gilchrist, a hero of the Napoleonic Wars has lived as a recluse for five years. He is summoned to do his duty and set up his nursery when his sister in law is told she cannot have any more children. Cleo Pritchard was married to Jack's commanding officer. A cruel man 23 years her senior, he died in battle, and Jack was left to deliver the news to the new widow all those years ago. When they meet again at a ball, there is an undeniable attraction between the two and he proposes to her 24 hours after that second meeting, looking to avoid a season on the marriage mart hunting for a suitable wife.  In a twist, Cleo decides she won't marry Jack unless she gets pregnant first. I loved this particular plot line and thought it was pretty progressive. Too progressive, as it turns out, but no matter. While not my favorite of this particular analogy, it was good reading. The author did not disappoint.

The third author, Jacquie D'Alessandro, contributed Hope Springs Eternal. This was my favorite of the four. Well written, well executed, with only a small degree of self-pity on the part of the female protagonist, Penelope Markham, an art teacher dismissed in disgrace when she dared to sculpt a male nude.  This was the one story that had me wishing it was a  full length novel.  Penelope is saved from a mugging by Alec Trentwell, her dead brother's commanding officer. Alec has been following Penelope with the intent of keeping her safe for her dead brother's sake as well as his own guilt. He's got a secret and he has to share it with Penelope. Finding the right time to do that is his problem, as he too, proposes after meeting her in order to meet his brother's demand that he marry and start begetting heirs. Another two for one deal here as Penelope never thought to marry and always hoped to, and Alec must. Love is the result of this unorthodox match, but can it survive the secret that is eating Alec alive?

The last story is Fate Strikes a Bargain, by Candice Hern, another author I am not familiar with.  In this story, the female heroine, Phillipa Reynolds has a physical disability which kept her on the sidelines through three seasons. Captain Nathaniel Beckwith, a dead ringer for Richard Sharpe aka Sean Bean (except for the noble bloodline) returns home from Waterloo a changed man, and one with a final mission given to him by his brother; to produce a male heir.  He proposed to Phillipa exactly five minutes after meeting her while both were hiding behind a potted plant at a ball. He's more damaged from war than the other three heroes we've met in this analogy, but eminently more likable. The two embark on a season together to satisfy her mother wish that propriety be observed, and fall in love. Phillipa is also the strongest character of the four women we've met, which makes for a nice love story.

I loved the idea of this contest, and to be honest, had I known about it, I might have come up with some plot suggestions of my own. If I can't write my own romance novel,  having one dedicated to me is the next best thing. Out now, It Happened One Season is worth a read, for how it was conceived if nothing else.

April Romance Reading Challenge Book: My Irresistible Earl, by Gaelen Foley

When the newly widowed Lady Pierson, Mara,  sees her long lost love after more than ten years, she is livid that he still looks just as handsome as he did way back when.  Jordan, the Earl of Falconridge left her in a garden one evening after a rash proposal from Mara to make him stay with her.  His duties to the Order left him no choice but to abandon his lady love and undertake his mission.  With a promise to come back for her, he leaves her, hoping she will wait for him and they can marry.  When Mara never hears from Jordan, she marries Lord Pierson to get away from parents who did nothing but criticize and abuse her.  Now it's fourteen years later, and they are both older and wiser, and still very much attracted to each other.

Jordan's mission is to take him close to the Prince Regent, Prinny, and root out a traitor working with the Prometheans.  Mara's relationship with Prinny is the perfect way to get himself cozy with the Carlton House set, and closer to Mara.  Jordan and Mara cannot keep their hands off each other, and soon they're inseparable, being seen everywhere together and spending nights in each other's arms.  Jordan desperately wants to tell Mara about his mission, but is sworn to secrecy to protect her and her son Thomas.  When the Prometheans kidnap young Thomas in order to get a valuable list of names of the Order, Mara and Jordan face the enemy together in order to save the Crown.

As always with Gaelen Foley, her novels are descriptive and sensual; a fresh look on formula Regency romance.  Jordan and Mara literally cannot get enough of each other, and it shows on every page, whether they are in each other's arms, or not speaking.  My Irresistible Earl, part of the Inferno Club series, is due in stores April 1, 2011.  Make sure to pick up this one!